Stapling machine



Marnix' lgffgu). R, G; HGH-'ERT 2,294,225

STAPLING MACHINE Filed July 1S, 1937 2` Sheets$hest l 7 H f2 57 53 62 (56 65 5K9 64/ INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

March 19, 1943, R 'Q HQFFERT 2,@94225 STAPLING MACHINE Filed July 16, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'l/Wf 7 mm 7 70 m67 66 m l ,f

INVENTOR.

DUV #Ufff/Pf www ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 19, 1.9.40

` STAPLING MACHINE Roy' G. Hoffert, Racine, Wis. Application July 16, 1937, seran No. 153,998

v 1 Claim.

This invention relates to Wire stitching or stapling machines primarily for the stitching or stapling of fibre boxes and the like.

Machines of this type are commonly equipped with a clincher post adapted to enter and support the box to be stapled and to sustain the staple clinching thrust, the post beingmovable to facilitate entry of the box between it and the staple formingl and driving mechanism. In some machines of this type, provision vismadel for rendering both the movement of the post and the actuation of the stapling mechanism con-- trollable by a single element, ordinarily a pedal lever.

One object of the present invention is to` simply and otherwise improve the construction and operation of single-pedal controls for machines of this type.

Another object is to provide an improved single pedal control which may be economically produced, which may be readily adjustable to suit or t the personal equation of any particular operative and to compensate for wear, and in which those parts subject to wear may be readily replaced.

Another object is to provide improved feed vrolls for the wire feed mechanism designed to` effect prompt and accurate feeding of the wire to desired lengths, without injury to the wire, and to reduce manufacturing costs to a minimum.

Another object is tol provide an actuating cam for the stapling mechanism so constructed as to be capable of production at minimum cost.

Other more specific objects and advantages will appear, expressed or implied, from the' following description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a wire stapling machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the machine on a larger scale.

Fig. Bris a sectional view of the wire feed mechanism, taken substantially along the lin 3 3 of Fig. 2on a still larger scale. -l

Figs. 4 and 5 are views in elevation and section, respectively,A of a feed roller, the latter being taken substantially along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View of the post operating and control mechanism, shown in elevation in Fig. 1. f

Fig. 7 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, of lthe 4stapling mechanism cam vshown in Fig. 1.

The stapling machine selected for illustration includes -va conventional frame comprising a column iii, rising from an appropriate hollow base I I, and having a forwardly projecting goose-neck formation I2 at its upper end.

The forward end of the lgoose-neck I2 supports a conventional type of stapling head including a reciprocating staple former I3 of well known type actuated by a` rotating cam Ill and rollerv I5, and also including the usual reciprocating stapler driver It actuated through a link Il from a wrist pin I8 carried by the cam I4. The cam is fixed to and driven by ashaft I9 which extends horizontally through the goose-neck and which is intermittently actuated through a conventional single-revolution clutch driven through appropriate motor-driven gearing'covkered by the guard 2l.' The single-revolution clutch 20 is controlled by the usual pull rod 22m which in this instance extends downwardly 20 through the column Il) to the base I I, and which, when pulled, causes the shaft i9 and It to rotate throughone complete turn and thereby cause Ithe stapling' mechanism to complete a single 25 1 operating cycle ina well known manner.

The reciprocable driver I6 coacts with a conventional clincherdie 23, seated in a head 24, adjustably xed in the upper end of a post which is supported at its lower end to tilt about. a horizontal pivot pin 26 permanently disposed directly beneaththe staple driver where it may directly sustain the thrust of the driver.

The wire of which the staples are formed is supplied from a standard reel 21, carried by anl i. upright bracket 2li, fixed to the goose-neck I2, '35 and is drawn intermittently therefrom over a conventional tensioning guide 2S, by and between a pair of feed rolls 3l?, and projected through the usual ieed tube 3i to the stapling mechanism, o where the wireI is cut o-i to proper length, bent to form a staple, and the formed staple driven against the clincher die 23 in a well known manner during each operating cycle.

The post 25 normally assumes the forwardly 45 tilted, full line position of Fig. l, with its upper end oiiset forwardly from the stapling mechanism in. a position.most convenient Vfor the application thereover of a box to be stapled. lThe post is movable however into the vertical,f'50

dotted line position to properly register the clincher die 23 with the staple driver IS, where it may receive and clinch the staple drivenl v.through the box material interposed therebetween. In this. instance the post 25 is shifted-55 .the staple driver IG.

base H.

and controlled by a pedal lever 32 through novel mechanism about to be described, the lever 32 also serving to control the clutch control rod 22 through novel mechanism so combined and arranged as to effect operation of the stapling mechanism only after the post has been shifted into accurate staple clinching position.

In the machine shown, the lower end of the post 25 is rigidly secured to and within a tubular rockable carrier 33 having a pair of spaced depending ears 34 journalled upon the pivot pin 26 which in this instance is in the form of a removable bolt projecting through the ears and through a pair of spaced upright brackets 35 preferably removably fixed to the base i i of the machine by bolts 35 or other appropriate means. 'Ihe brackets are preferably integrally joined by a cross member 3l' (Fig. 5) and are equipped with depending ears 38 between which the pedal lever 32 is rockably supported by a pin 39 passing therethrough.

The post 25 is shifted and controlled by a bell crank 4B, rockably supported upon the bolt 23 between the ears 34 of the post carrier 33, and having one arm 4| adjustably connected to the front of the post carrier through appropmate means such as a screw d2. The other depending arm 43 of the bell crank carries a roller mounted upon a pin 45 within the bifurcated end portion 46 of the arm. This roller fifi normally engages beneath a cam lug l'l which projects upwardly and forwardly from the iulcrumed end of the lever 32.

The arrangement is such that when the lever 32 is depressed, the lug 4i' forces the roller lforwardly, thereby tilting the bell crank 45 and shifting the post 25 toward the vertical, dotted line position of Fig. l. As the lug 477 thus rocks with the lever 32' about the pin 39 it effects a rapid movement of the roller 44 and post 25 until the substantially flat active end of the lug 47 approaches a dead center position between the roller 44 and pin 3Q and continued movement of the lug thereafter has no appreciable effect on the position of the post. In this dead center position the post 25 assumes the vertical position shown and the lug acts like a prop to lock the post in that position.

Provision is made for accurately positioning the post 25 in the vertical dotted line position, in order to accurately align the ciincher die 23 with For this purpose the post carrier 33 is provided with an integral Vrearwardly projecting stop lug 48 arranged to limit the rearward swing of the post 25 by engaging a stop screw 49 adjustably fixed in the stationary member 31 (Fig. 6), the screw 42 being so adjusted that the post 25 reaches this limiting position as the active end of the lug l closely approaches the dead center position above mentioned. It is of course understood that by proper adjustment of the screws 49 and l2 any inaccuracies resulting from. manufacture or assembly of the parts, or from wear, may be readily corrected.

The post 25 is preferably normally retained in the full line position of Fig. l by appropriate means, such as a tension spring 5E, connected at one end to the arm t3 of the bell crank and at the other end to a stationary pin 5! on the However, when the machine is not in use, and during shipment, the post may be locked in the dotted line position by a yoke 52, rockably supported on pins 53 in the brackets 35,

.the yoke being arranged to be swung into locking `.position over the stop lug 48 and to be releasably secured in that position by a screw 54 carried by the yoke and engageable with a notch 55 in the lug 48.

As above pointed out, the pedal lever 32 also serves to actuate the clutch control rod 22 through improved mechanism, which will now be described. The mechanism shown includes a horlzontal push rod 55 connected at one end to and actuated by a lug 51 depending from the fulcrumed end of the lever 32. This rod is slidably supported at its other end in an appropriate aperture in the rear end of the base il. This rod extends loosely through a stationary bracket arm 58 and a lug 59 depending from the ful crumed end of a lever 60 rockably supported on a horizontal pivot 5I in the base H.

A compression spring E2, between the bracket 58 and a collar 63, adjustably fixed on the push rod 5G, urges the rod toward the pedal lever 32, thereby to yieldably sustain the lever 32 in the elevated position shown (Fig. l). Another compression spring 64, between the rear end of the base i i and the lug 59 yieldably sustains the lever GG in the elevated position shown. The free end of the lever G is connected to the lower end of the clutch control rod 22. A collar 65, adjustably fixed to the push rod 55, is arranged to strike the lug 59 and depress the lever Eil and rod 22 when the rod 56 is sumciently moved by depression of the pedal lever 32.

The arrangement is such that initial depression of the pedal lever 32 causes the post 25 to shift into the vertical dotted line staple clinching position of Fig. l, and thereafter as the actve end of the cam lug 41 approaches the above described dead center position between the roller tft and the lever support 39, the collar 55 strikes the lug 59 and under continued depression of the lever 55 and consequent continued movement of the rod 5G, the lever G and control rod 22 are depressed by the collar G5, thereby closing the single-revolution clutch 20 and setting the stapling mechanism into operation. It will thus be noted that the stapling mechanism cannot function until the post 25 has rst been shifted into vertical clinching position by the initial depression of the pedal lever 32, and that the post is locked in this position by the cam lug 4l' until after the pedal lever has again been elevated sufficiently to bring the stapling mechanism to rest by the return of the lever SQ and rod 22 to their original elevated positions.

In the machine shown, the wire feed rollers 30 are driven in synchronism with the stapling mechanism by a gear fixed to the shaft i9 and meshing with one of a pair of intermeshing gears 8l of the same size as the gear E6. The gears 61 are respectively xed to the rear ends of shafts G8 journalled in appropriate bosses B9 formed on a laterally extended `bracket arm 10. The shafts 6B, which are thus driven in opposite directions, carry and drive the two feed rollers 36, respectively, fixed to the forward ends thereof.

The feed rollers 3B are of novel design, each comprising a rather heavy sheet metal stamping shaped to provide a disk-like central supporting web 'H and a substantially cylindrical flange 'l2 having a portion struck up to provide a slightly projecting, concentric, wire feed cam portion 13 of predetermined length. In this instance the cam '.'3 and adjacent portions of the ange 'l2 of each roller is freed from the web by appropriatemeans, such as an arcuate slot 74 provided in the periphery of `theweb, so as to render the freed portions of the, flange more or less yieldable and thereby permit the intermediate cam portion, supported thereby, to yield very slightly under the wire gripping pressure.l By thus yieldably supporting the cam portion 13 at bothends, a more effective; and secure gripping of the Wire is obtained and all` danger of marring `the Wire is eliminated. Although in the machineshown, the cam portions of both rollers is thusyeldably supported, excellent results are attainable if only oneof the rollers is thus equipped.

Eachof the rollers 30 is removably fixed to the end of its supporting shaft 68 by' appropriate means, such` as a bolt 15, which, passes through a central aperture 16 in the web 1| and serves to clamp ythe web against the end of the shaft. One of the rollers is preferably locked against rotation with 'respect to its shaft by keys or pins 'l1 positioned in the shaft andv projecting through appropriate notches 18 formed in the periphery of the aperture'l. In order to vary the length f of overlap of the opposed cam portions 13 of the rollers, to thereby regulate the length of wire advanced therebetween per cycle of operation, the keys TI are omitted from the other of the rollers to permit angular adjustment thereof -v with respect toits shaft.

The cam I4, employed in vthe machine shown,

is of novel construction which permits` production thereof at minimum cost. It comprises a two-part structure, v including a heavy. sheet Ametal stampingshaped to provide fa supporting web I9 having a peripheralange 80 of desired contour, and a separately formed central member 8|, smaller but of similar contour Sheared by appropriate dies from` a heavy steel plate. The member 8| is permanently xed to the inner face of'the web` 19 vof the stamping in such positogether with the flange 80, form an appropriate cam groove or channelv 82' for the v'roller I5y hereinabove mentioned. Constructed in"this manner a cam with an accurately formed groove tion that the outer peripheryl ofv the member 8|,

suchagroovevhas been eliminated 'and the cost of materials have also been reduced.`

Various changes may be made in the embodiment ofthe invention hereinabove specificallyv f. described Without departing fromor sacricing the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

carried on the rear of said base, staple-forming and ldriving mechanism carried von the upper part clinching positions, the combination of a-treadle lever pivotally mounted in the forward, part of saidv base andV projecting throughA the front thereof, cam means carried by said treadle lever,r a member connected to saidI clincher post andy having a roller coacting with said cam "to tilt said post, a second lever having a fulcrum at the f rear..of said base and having an arm extending.

forwardly from said fulcrum, a clutch controlling :said staple forming and driving mechanism' and connected to said forwardly kextending arm, Y

and a rod connecting said treadle lever to said secondy lever for actuation of said clutch by said treadle lever.

ROY o. HOFFERT. f

, l5 In a stapling machine having a base, a frame 

